heoweks



O. MOWERS.

SWAB.

APPLICATION FILED APII. I8. 1921.

Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

osmyn Mou/Ens, 3mm

Mz; ation/w14 UNITED STATES OSMYN MOWERS, 0F HOUSTON, TEXAS.

SWAB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

Application :tiled April 18, 1921. Serial No. 462,385.

T0 alli/17mm t may concern.

Be it known that I. OsMYN Mownns, a citizen ot the United States, residing at Houston, Harris County, Texas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Swabs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exacty description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it' appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in swabs for cleaning oil or water wells of liquid, especially where such liquid contains a quantity of sand, mud, or other abrasive material. Thus where a well has been drilled and the casing set it is an ordinary practice to let a swab down into the fluid standing in the well and to get a load ot the fluid and withdraw it Yfrom the well. This operation'is repeated until the well has been cleaned ot fluid as far as possible.

An object ot my invention is to provide a swab which may be introduced readily into the well and may be again readily withdrawn without danger o1 mutilation.

l Another object is to provide a swab which will carry a heavy load without danger of breaking and which will operate lfor long periods of time without a great amount of wear. I desire to produce a swab of durable construction in which there will be no likelihood or' overload and which will operate rapidly .in practice.

Referring to the drawing wherein like numerals of reference are applied to like parts in the two views, Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section through a well casing showing my invention in elevation therein; and Fig. Q is a broken longitudinal section showing details olE construction ol the cup or sucker used in my improvement.

In the drawing I have illustrated in Fig. 1 my improvement in swabs as located within an outer casing The swab is made up of a central supporting tube et ot' comparatively small. diameter and may be a pipe from two to tour inches in diameter. This pipe l is connected at its upper cud by means ot a swedged coupling 5 to a length ot larger and heavier pipe G, the pipe G having a bail or some attaching means T at the upper end thereol to which may be secured the hoisting cable. The length ot pipe S is included merely as a weight to 'lorce the swao downwardly into the well when it. is being operated. At the lower end of the pipe 1 is a valve seat 8 secured therein. Upon this valve seat is a valve 9 such as is usually employed 'in hailing devices. It has a rounded upper end adequate to lit within the seat 8 and has a dependiHg vane at the lower end to assist 1n opening the valve to unload the contents of the pipe 4; when desired. Toward the upper end ol' the pipe 1 I contemplate pertorating the pipe at 10 to allow a free outlet of fluid passing upwardly past the valve.

The closure between the pipe 4f and the walls of the casing 3 is obtained in my device by the use or' a plurality of cups or suckers 11. These suckers are spaced slightly apart and cooperate when expanded in holding' the oil or fluid above them from leaking backwardly into the well. Each of these suckers 11 comprises a downwardly tapered cup 12 made of leather, rubber or some wear-resisting composition which is somewhat flexible. This cup is secured at its lower or smaller end to the pipe et by any well known means, but I have shown same as clamped securely to the pipe by means ot a coupling or collar 13 having an outwardly flared recess 14 in the upper end thereotto receive the lower end of the cup and 'l'orce the same in fluid tight relation to the pipe el. Cup 19. is reinforced and supported by means of a plurality of inner resilient strips ot metal 15. These reinforcing members are preferably made of straps ot' spring metal such as steel secured at the lower inner'end of the cup by means of rivets 16 and also at the upper end by Aa similar securing means 17. The supporting spring then extends upwardly above the cup and is secured at its Lipper end to a sliding collar 18. As will be apparent any suitable number ol these supporting members may be used but I have employed four in the embodiment shown in the drawing.

I also contemplate employing a second supporting strip ot metal 19 similar in general construction to the members 15. These strips 19 are secured directly outside of the strips 15. being fastened at their upper ends to the sliding Vcollar 18 by the same rivets or set screws 20, as are employed in securing the supporting strips 15 thereto. The strips 19 are slightly longer than the inner strips 15, allowing tree play of the same' outside the cup 12 and are secured to the cup at the lower end thereot1 by means of the rivets or screws 16 and also by means of the clamping collar 13.

The operation of my improved bailer will be similar to that of the ordinary bailer.

On its passage downwardly through the fluid thel valve 9 will be raised from its seat and will allow the passage upwardlyinto thepipe t of the lluid. This fluid will pass upwardly and out the upperend ofthe pipe 6 or willnd an outlet. also through the perforations 10 in the pipe 4. Also-,the cups 12' will collapse a certain amount as shown in Fig. 2 so as to allow a.

considerable' space between the same andthe walls vof the' casing fori the passage of the fluid.

Vhen the device has been lowered down' into thel fluid'for' a' sufficient distance to 0btain suitable load of fluid above thefswab the bailing line andthe swab thereon will be drawn upwardly. On this motion the valve 9 will drop' into its seat preventing the passage downwardly of the fluid past this valve andthe cups if 11' will .be expanded by the weight of fluid. They will be forced out` wardly, by the' weightV of'lluid against the inner face ofthecasing; The supporting springsv or straps' ofv metal 15 and 19' will'prevent the possibility of forcing the llexible cup downwardly too f'ar, the ring 18 sliding downwardly alongthe pipe as the cup'is expanded, AIt, is obvious that withoutv some supporting means'such as the metal straps 15 and 19V the cup mightv bev turned backwardly by the force of fluid above'the same so as to'tur-n the cup wrong side out and prevent theV functioning ofV thev swab. rIhe outer-'straps 19 not' only assist in supporting the cup properly, but also prevent the outer edge' of' thecup frommutilation when it is introduced into the well or withdrawn therefrom. vThus .it will be seen that joints in the pipe upon-which the edge' of the cup 12 might otherwise catch. and' be torn` will not engage the edge of' the cup in such manner as'to injurefthesame, it being protected from such action by the outer springs' 19. A Vswab employing y one only of vthese suckers would n'o doubt function to carry the moderate load butwhere a plurality of the same,

such as is disclosed in the drawing, is employedja Vvery heavy load of fluid may be carried without injury to the device. In fact, the load carried by this type of swab will be regulated mostly by the'strength of the 4pipe and of the supporting cable.

This device may be quickly introduced intothe well and againquickly withdrawn without danger of mutilation of thecups and when withdrawn the device may be lowered upon the derrick platform so as to 1L Ina swab, a-eentral tubular member, an

`upwardly opening valve in the lowerend thereof, a pluralityy of cups secured onk the outer surface'of said pipe,.means to support saidcups, andprevent the mutilation of' the same and means to-force said device downs wardly into a well.y y

2'. In a' swab', a central supporting a weight thereon, cupson saidv pipe, said.l

cups being made of flexible material, support-ing means'for'each of saidE cups' com Y prising strips of resilient materialy secured thereto andengaging a sliding ring on saidv pipel above saidcup. j

3. In a swab, a supporting pipe, cups mounted on said pipe, said cups comprising upwardly flarngv members composed1 ofv flexible material, means toy support said cups'in erect position. and "means to; protect the upper edges ofsaid'cups fromrnutil'ationin the manner described.

4. In a swab, a supportingv pipe," cups mounted. thereon comprising upwardlyy flaring membersof flexible material, means to secure their lower edges in fluid tight relation to said pipe, means to: support said'cups in operativev position comprising strips of resilient metal secured' onv the inner face'of each of said'cups, and means to'proteet the upper edges fromy mutilation comprisin a stripof resilient'mate'rialbetween the ge of each ofsaid cups and the wallofthefwell casing. Y

5. In a swab Aa supporting pipe, a cup thereon of flexiblenraterial, resilientV means toy support said' cup, means to vprotectl the'cup against mutilation, wherebytsaid cup may collapse to' allow a passage of. fluid outside thereof when forced downwardly and may Y expand against the walls of the well casing OSMYN MOWERS: 

